Financial Aid Office Assistant and Peer Counselor (Summer) - $9.50/hour

Financial Aid Office Assistant and Peer Counselor (Summer) - $9.50/hour

Below you will find the details for the position including any special instructions, supplementary documentation and questions you should review before applying for the opening. To apply for the position, please click the Apply for this Job link.

Priority consideration will be given to students who apply by March 15.

Position Details

Position Title: Financial Aid Office Assistant and Peer Counselor (Summer) - $9.50/hour

Position Type: Student

Number of Open Positions: 1

Department: Financial Aid Office (2550)

Campus: Main Campus (Grantham)

Supervisor: Sharon Lidle

Work Period: Summer 2025

Hours Per Week: 40

Duration of Appointment: Summer

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | One hour lunch, daily.

Position Description

Position Summary

This position is responsible for general office duties and higher level functions related to basic levels of financial aid counseling and assisting full-time staff with the processing of various financial transactions and critical processes. See the Primary Duties section for more details.

Preferred Required

Major Preferred Experience Required:

• Must have general computer knowledge including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Experience Preferred

• Experience working with Banner or a similar Financial Aid Management computer system.
• Deeper knowledge of Excel.
• Experience/ability in editing webpages.

Skills, Characteristics Required for Position

• Must be detail oriented, have good organizational skills, and enjoy working with numbers.
• Must feel comfortable spending a significant amount of time communicating with students and parents on the telephone or via email.
• Must be able to clearly explain complex processes and procedures.
• Must be able to maintain composure and pleasant personality even during stressful conversations.
• Students filling this position must practice extreme confidentiality, as almost every part of this position involves access to the highest level of sensitive documents and data for Messiah University Students.

Dress Code Requirements

Office/business casual

Special Working Conditions

N/A

Background Check Required:

No

Primary Duties

• Act as a first level financial aid counselor answering telephone calls, emails, and handling in-person front counter visits in order to provide students and parents with first level advising on general financial aid information, specifics related to financial aid programs, processing, and details related to the specific student’s financial aid award.
• Assist financial aid staff members in managing several critical processes including:
• Processing outside scholarships from the point of receipt through transmission to the Finance Office. The student employee must demonstrate extreme maturity in being responsible for the handling and proper processing of numerous large checks, and in representing Messiah University while communicating with outside scholarship organizations when funds must be refunded to the organization.
• Course and Program of Study Processing: Student employee must demonstrate extreme discretion and detail orientation in dealing with academic records of other students, including adjustments which need to be made to those records to support the student’s financial aid eligibility.
• Processing of incoming forms required to complete the student’s financial aid package, which involves:
• Opening incoming mail and processing documents received through the secure upload system.
• Scanning and indexing these documents into student records in order to allow the student to continue on through the financial aid process.

This full process requires the use of multiple interacting software systems including Banner, Dynamic Forms, and the Secure Upload system. It is also necessary to update several spreadsheets used in communicating the check process to other offices. It is critical that extreme detail to attention be used in order to ensure that the proper documents and data are attached to the correct student.

• Assist with basic edits to the Financial Aid Office webpages using the Jadu content management system.
• Assist staff members with numerous special projects as assigned. Must demonstrate flexibility and initiative in completing projects while following provided instructions.
• Prepare various financial aid mailings, under the direction of full-time Financial Aid Office staff.
• Maintain consistent and reliable attendance.

Secondary Duties

• Assist staff members with special projects.
• Other duties as assigned.

Application Information

Open Until Filled: Yes

Application Deadline: Quicklink for Posting: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28853

Posting Specific Questions

• How did you hear about this employment opportunity?
• What personal strengths will assist you in this position? (Open Ended Question)
• Describe a past experience in which you provided excellent customer service to someone. (Open Ended Question)

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

Optional Documents

• Resume
• Letter of Reference #1 (Student Positions Only)

Human Resources: One University Avenue Suite 3015 Mechanicsburg PA 17055; 717-796-5300

Student Employment: One University Avenue Suite 3015 Mechanicsburg PA 17055; 717-796-1800 x.2900